Have you ever wondered about God talking to people in their dreams? In today’s Gospel we hear about Joseph being warned about King Herod. In the Old Testament we had Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, and then of course in the New Testament Zacharias, Joseph, and Pilot’s wife (just to name a few). If God was so keen on talking to our biblical fathers through dreams, why doesn’t God speak to us like that anymore? I wish I could wake up and have an answer to my life’s biggest frustrations.
Yet as I pray about this, I hear God whispering into my heart I do speak to you. He does send us answers. He does pull and nudge and direct. He doesn’t hide His will from us. God isn’t a trickster who finds delight in watching us walk around blinded and confused. God loves us and wants us to know Him. He desires a relationship with us—when we develop a relationship with Him through prayer, we have a chance to listen and hear His direction.
I know for my part, I often just don’t listen. I don’t look. I wake up to my phone, read my devotion and then scroll. I hurry from task to task and busy myself, spending every ounce of free time with screen in my face, or a phone to my ear, or little voices talking at me. As long as I allow myself to be consumed with this world, I will be deaf to the guidance coming from above. I must simply sit and cultivate the quiet.
Today, I invite you to cultivate the quiet. Invite the Lord into your heart and mind. Stop the chatter and just listen.
MaryRuth Hackett is Director of Operations for Blessed is She. She loves historical fiction, dark chocolate, watching her children play soccer, a good cup of coffee (decaf please) and the quiet of the early morning. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has a passion for helping parents understand the way their children grow and develop. You can find out more about her here.